All posts filed under: lifestyle

louvre michaelense is a hip shop selling products “made in portugal”, as so many others that are popping at every corner these days – craftwork, gourmet products, exquisite drinks (or a simple coffee) and, of course, new interpretations of our childhood products. when we visited it for the first time, we were expecting only local products but we guess it would be a rather ambitious project. the place where it stands was opened in 1904 as a millinery, but later became an haberdashery and its a quite comfy memoir going there with my mom to buy buttons and zips to her homemade clothes. with time, and portuguese financial crisis, it bankrupted and was abandoned for many years. its transformation as louvre michaelense was nicely done and i’m happy that the place has a new life in ponta delgada’s downtown.

last edition of monocle’s the escapist features the azores as a unique place to get move on. nonetheless, it focus only on são miguel forgetting the unity and bursting exquisite of all the archipelago. despite that, the essay nicely captures the evolution of an island that is finally opening its mysteries to the world.

the best vegetarian restaurante we ever visit. its not easy to cook vegetarian or vegan food, but “rotas” really knows how to do it. simple and delicious food at a comfortable place. their version of tiramisu with “bolo levedo” (the traditional sweet bread) is to eat and ask for more. often fully booked so make sure to reserve a table.

on the lakeside of “lagoa das furnas” (s.miguel, azores), furnas lake villas is an amazing space to spend some days in the island. inspired in traditional warehouses and scandinavia architecture, the modular apartments offers us an updated rustic comfort to enjoy the nature all around. there are many activities that you can enjoy while being at the villas, but at our time there we got the typical azorean foggy days. even so, we tried to get the best of our time there and less than 5 minutes walking you can arrive to the lake and the outstanding chapel that decorates its outline. and less than 10 minutes driving you are at “furnas” centre. one of ours best memories, enjoying long mornings inside was the amazing breakfast delivered every day at the apartment in a basket full of fresh and local products, including “bolo levedo” (typical sweet bread of furnas valley).